So you’ve read some of my articles and the research exploring the gut microbiome. You know that beautiful microbiome made up of trillions of beneficial bacteria with all their DNA living in our gut that influences everything from our immune health, weight gain, mood and more recently how these microbes can make us more attractive to our mates!

Well, these researchers took it to another level. These chemists looked at the vast microbiome on our skin. Just like eating a high sugar, low fiber, fatty food rich diet and exposing ourselves to antibiotics can destroy our gut microbiome, these scientists found that the use of all our cleansers, shampoos, moisturizers and deodorants are actually destroying and washing away the healthy flora that once lived happily on our skin. Could this good bacteria actually act as a built-in cleanser, deodorant, anti-inflammatory and immune-booster by feeding on the ammonia in our sweat? Well…yes!

David Whitlock, the M.I.T.-trained chemical engineer (who founded this product), proposes the way to bring back this healthy bacteria is to avoid soaps and shampoos and replenish our skin and scalp with a living bacterial skin tonic made up of billions of ammonia-oxidized bacteria (AOB). These bacteria are most commonly found in dirt and intreated water..Yuk!

But maybe there’s something to this.

This author writes about his own experience being involved in a study to test this topical bacteria and finds surprising results. Could it someday be used for wound healing, repel malaria and dengue fever, treat eczema and other chronic inflammatory disorders?

This product is available on line, as “Mother Dirt”. This biotech start-up hopes to finance their research into drug applications to get FDA approval.

It’s worth reading…

My No-Soap, No-Shampoo, Bacteria-Rich Hygiene Experiment – The New York Times: “”